A Little Life

And, oh… that smile!
07.17.12
24
It’s amazing to think that in one instant, your world can be turned upside down. Last week, for one instant, my world turned upside down… On my way home from a meeting, my phone rang. It was my babysitter. She was in tears and inaudible. Then I heard, “Hi, Jennifer… This is Officer (???) with Los Angeles Fire Department. Your babysitter and son have been in an accident.” I stopped breathing. “Everyone is okay though, ma’am. Your. Son. Is. Okay.” I clutched my wheel. What happened in the next 15 minutes is a blur: The Officer asked if I’d like them to go to the Emergency Room via ambulance (which he assured me wasn’t necessary)… ...Read More
Not exactly wordless, but it’s definitely nice! //www.youtube.com/get_player
Like most of you, I love summer… I love the sun, I love the beach, I love the outdoors, and I most certainly love margaritas (which I most certainly drink in the winter too…. Thanks to the never changing seasons of Los Angeles).  Anyway, it occurred to me the other day as I was reading through the rules and regulations of my son’s new summer camp how different life is now… This thought of “life then, life now” occurs to me often lately. In fact, as I sat watching fireworks last night from our balcony at home, I couldn’t believe that 14 years ago from that very moment, I was standing over ...Read More
I think I tell my son what to say a LOT…. Say ‘Thank You.’  Say ‘No, Thank You.’  Say ‘Please.’  Say ‘Hello.’  Say ‘Goodbye.’  Say ‘Sorry’ .  Say you ‘had a nice time.’ From big to small, I hand Jonah lines often… I tell him what to say, hoping he’ll deliver the goods and it will be well received…  If it’s meant to be kind, I hope it’s heard. If it’s meant to be funny, I hope it lands. If it’s meant to be sorry, I hope it’s forgiven… I simply want him to “use his words,” and use them well… And last night, he most certainly did…  As he was getting out of the ...Read More
…. AKA: Having Ikea Furniture
06.05.12
7
As I attempted to rock Jonah back to sleep last night, I felt that pang of sentiment that all moms feel, a lot and throughout, their children’s lives: At some point, I won’t be able to do this. It was his first night sleeping at our new apartment so I knew there would be a few sleeping hiccups… Given the fact that this child can negotiate as if it were a serious hostage terrorist situation, I knew that simply leaving his room and saying “goodnight” was far from realistic. (My favorite “Wait, Mommy, don’t leave!” moment was when he noticed my earrings and LITERALLY had me convinced that he was ...Read More
05.21.12
7
In high school, I was the “drama girl…”  Well, a drama nerd, really. With New York University as the institution where I’d end up studying thee-ater (and buying drugs from R.A.’s), the idea of participating in team sports really wasn’t  high on my list of priorities. As a child, I wasn’t necessarily nonathletic, I was just waaaaay better at drawing, and dress up, and doing impressions. AYSO soccer had no room for a budding young star with a chubby face and chicken legs like me. So, I spent weekends taking art and acting classes, tap and ballet… But somehow, I got sucked in. For whatever reason, somehow, someway, I DID end ...Read More
It’s nearly midnight and I have about a dozen things left to do…. Tomorrow I leave for an 8 day trip to Hawaii with my boyfriend and another couple. Eight Days. Without my son. 8. The longest I’ve ever been away from him, and (not withstanding my backpacking/smoking tour through Europe post-college), one of the longest trips I’ve ever been on in general. Oh wait, I forgot about the cruise to Europe with my family, and the cruise through the Panama Canal too… and the trip to Hungary… Never Mind. I’ve traveled a lot and for long periods. The point is, never this long away from Jonah. I’m not going to ...Read More